Cleveland commits more than $145,000 for event park

CLEVELAND - The City of Cleveland has come through with a contribution to the White County Event Park being built by the county behind the courthouse in Cleveland.

The county is providing the majority of the cost for the project, but the commissioners called on the city to help with the project since the park is located in the city and will benefit businesses located downtown. The county had ask the city to provide $150,000 toward the project.

During Monday night's city council meeting, Mayor Don Stanley said the city checked out the amount that could be used for street work and that amount was around $88,000. Stanley said they did some further checking and they discovered they could help with the street lighting cost and providing a water hookup, bringing the overall contribution the city could make to $145,744.

Councilman Bradley Greene, who owns a business on the square, said he sees the project as a growth engine for the area. Greene made a motion to the commitment of $145,744 using SPLOST funds. Councilman Ed Young seconded the motion and it received unanimous approval.

The city's commitment includes: $40,356 in pavement and striping; $16,650 in curb and gutter; $20,400 in sidewalks; $67,000 in street lighting; and $1,338 in water tap.